Park and Recreation Salary Survey

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2017, there were more than 157,000 full-time employees of local park and recreation agencies throughout the United States. Park and recreation agencies have to offer competitive compensation to attract and retain the best people to serve their communities. Beyond base salaries and the possibility of earning a bonus, workers also consider other benefits when choosing an employer, including healthcare, retirement plan, vacation days and sick days.

Having access to comprehensive compensation data informs park and recreation agency leaders on how to attract the best staff. Conversely, this data also provides park and recreation professionals insights on salary and benefits offerings from potential employers. This is where the NRPA Park and Recreation Salary Survey report comes in. In April 2019, NRPA’s research team sent a 35-question survey to elicit not only the salary data of 10 positions at park and recreation agencies, but also about general information on benefits and salary policies. The survey generated responses from 470 park and recreation agencies across the United States, the results of which are the basis of this report.